Mazda Rotary Club

General => General Technical => Wheels & Tyres, Suspension & Brakes => Topic started by: welshrx-7 on June 26, 2008, 06:18:59 PM

Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: welshrx-7 on June 26, 2008, 06:18:59 PM
i got a space saver on after a blowout on the way home from santa pod. need to use the car now and it is raining is it ok to drive it in the wet coz of the grip. it is on the back and the other side there is a 255 17.
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: mpk490p on June 26, 2008, 06:28:23 PM
i guess so if you have a puncure in the wet your are going to, but i wouldn\'t take any chance\'s if you have got to drive then just take it as slow as poss

Mark
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: Hayward North on June 26, 2008, 07:04:38 PM
think id be inclined to move the space saver to the front if poss.
Also space saver wheels are only made for lower speeds, the space saver on the mx5 is only for use with speeds lower than 55mph
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: logicalChimp on June 27, 2008, 09:33:28 AM
I had to put my space saver on a couple of weeks ago (actually, got the RAC to do it, cos i couldn\'t get the scissor jack under the skirts :o)

Anyway - the RAC guy told me that it was only good for 50mph MAX.  Given it also only has a couple of mm tread (or my one did, anyway) I would be very very careful about using it in the wet...
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: iaint on June 27, 2008, 12:01:23 PM
Given that the tyre on the spacesaver in my rex is likely to be the original item I\'m not sure I\'d trust it at 10mph let alone 50 :)
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: logicalChimp on June 27, 2008, 12:15:38 PM
well, mine was original (and seriously manky when it came out the well), and it withstood 4 days of commuting (at 50mph) along the motorway and back (around 130 miles total).

Mind you, I got some seriously funny looks from other drivers on the motorway :D  I mean, there I was, with my fully body kit, lowered suspension and noisy exhaust, doing 50mph in the slow lane :spank - and to top it off, the space saver was on the passenger side, so they couldn\'t see it :rollin
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: nikp on June 27, 2008, 12:27:30 PM
It\'s only meant to be a stop gap tyre for emergencies. You shouldn\'t really do any major commuting on it. Any spacesaver on any car needs changing asap.
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: logicalChimp on June 27, 2008, 12:46:27 PM
Agreed

Unfortunately, I didn\'t have too much choice.  Just had to gamble (fortunately, it was OK)
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: RemarkLima on June 27, 2008, 12:56:06 PM
Quote from: steve garbutt;512252think id be inclined to move the space saver to the front if poss.

I\'d agree with this to TBH, I\'ve read somewhere (can\'t remember so may have dreamed it) that having different profiles on the rear isn\'t good for the LSD as the wheels are constantly going a different rate.

Of course, YMMV ;)
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: logicalChimp on June 27, 2008, 01:27:19 PM
Quote from: RemarkLima;512477I\'d agree with this to TBH, I\'ve read somewhere (can\'t remember so may have dreamed it) that having different profiles on the rear isn\'t good for the LSD as the wheels are constantly going a different rate.

Of course, YMMV ;)

Hmm - providing the outer diameter of the wheel (ie rubber + alloys) is the same, it shouldn\'t matter.  And if your aftermarket wheels do have a different diameter, then you\'re gonna have problems with the speedo as well as the diff... ?
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: RemarkLima on June 27, 2008, 01:57:55 PM
Quote from: logicalChimp;512483Hmm - providing the outer diameter of the wheel (ie rubber + alloys) is the same, it shouldn\'t matter.  And if your aftermarket wheels do have a different diameter, then you\'re gonna have problems with the speedo as well as the diff... ?

Now correct me if I\'m wrong but the space save is a smaller diameter than the standard rolling radius?

I\'m sure a normal wheel will hardly fit in the boot, let alone the well.

Of course I could be very wrong!
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: logicalChimp on June 27, 2008, 02:27:36 PM
Well, I got my 18" alloy with knackered 225/35 tyre on it in the boot OK - it even sat in the spacesaver well.  Only thing was that being so wide, when it was lying in the boot it barely fitted under the parcel shelf.

Still, it had a marginally larger diameter than my front tyres - and as mentioned, they had the wrong sized rubber on them.  

By my very sketchy maths, I figured my wheels to be around 22mm smaller than they should have been.  The space saver was (as far as i could tell) around 5-10mm bigger (so maybe 10mm smaller than stock?)
Title: spacesaver in the wet?
Post by: RemarkLima on June 27, 2008, 03:22:06 PM
Oh, OK maybe it is... I\'d just assume it from it\'s diddy size in the boot it was smaller all round.

Good to know it\'s the right size :)